Iridescent Metal
by You'veMadeAGraveFSTEAK
Summary: Talon breaks into a lavish Demacian manor for a mission. Unfortunately, he ends up in the wrong room. Vanilla/Fluff. Any future mature content will be separated for your convenience :)
1. Chapter 1

**Hi sorry, just edited this chapter to include more things :) **

* * *

Talon was not particularly among the ferociously obedient champions of Noxus, but he definitely disliked the enemy city-state of Demacia more than he cared to admit. Growing up in the slums, honing his skills through a hardship he could not even begin to describe and actual battle experience that included sparring partners who fully intended to dismember you, Talon hated the extravagance he found to be abundant in Demacia. Sure, the army the city-state kept was apparently known to be ruthless and unforgiving, but they had limits and boundaries that they kept to, they followed rigid discipline while Noxus encouraged actual murder in order to get ahead. That's how it should be done. You train to fight by being in actual fights. Weed out the weak, and only the strong will remain. In the end, even Demacia's soldiers are nothing but pampered nobles. Just looking at the champions that represent the city-state are more than enough evidence of that.

_I don't understand why they'd send out one of the strongest blademasters in Noxus to kill a petty noblewoman…_ Talon thinks to himself, freerunning through Demacia's inner city, deftly maneuvering the sprawling walls and rooftops, quietly and through the constant cover of shadows.

_They could send a child armed with a stick and he'd _still_ get the job done. _Recognizing the expansive mansion decked in crème and gold, Talon checks for the family's coat of arms Katarina was sure were blatantly featured all over the architecture. True enough, they were there. _Nothing but braggarts. I'm actually glad I took this mission. _Effortlessly breaching his target house's intimidating fence (imbued with techmaturgy, he noted), he lunged at the tree nearest his target's room, an immense oak tree, knowledge he had thanks to, once again, Katarina's impeccable information. Her reconnaissance missions were without flaw. Talon perfectly reaches and pulls himself up on the desired branch without so much as a creak. Perched comfortably, he tried to peer into the room before him, squinting his eyes at an attempt to look between the dark sable curtains. _Perfect, she must already be asleep._ Certain that his target was not going to know what hit her, Talon went in for the kill.

* * *

Luxanna Crownguard liked to keep her windows open at all times. Her mother reminded her again and again how she was an important figure in the Demacian army, that her unnatural light could draw enemies to her very own bedroom and that they could easily assassinate her if they planned well enough. Despite knowing it was all in goodwill, Lux hated the dark curtains her mother had specially placed in her room, they seemed to suck out not only her light but also her life and her energy.

She might not have wanted to admit it, but Lux held a concealed resentment for her mother, stemming farther back then she would like to remember. Leaving the windows open were not only Lux's small act of defiance— it's not like there's any real danger or that anyone would actually dare attack her, anyway— They were also what soothed her, what made her feel that she was truly free.

Lux was emanating the only light in her darkened room. She decided not to bother activating the lights, knowing she would have to go straight to sleep anyway, her service to the Demacian Army always requiring her to be awake bright and early for more training or missions or whatever it is they'd think up for her. Lux sighed as she peeled off her skin tight leggings, dropping them to the floor only to pick them up again for her to throw onto her pile of discarded armor. Sure, they were comfortable while still being functional, seemingly enhancing all her movements—she vaguely remembers what the summoners called the cloth… "spandex", was it? She was not certain about the name, but she was quite certain about a few other things; that it was imbued with magic, and that it was aggravating to attempt to put on or take off. It would stick to her skin—worse, if she was still sweating— almost like someone had hexed it with adhesive without her knowledge. She also hated how it would clip against her shoulders and waist, and she'd have to take several moments to peel the damned thing off of herself, willing it to stretch just enough to fit through her shoulders. The rest of the cloth that's supposed to be on her abdomen would be covering her head at this point, and the lack of visibility and even the smidge of darkness really, really bothered her. It might have been a very petty thing to be annoyed about, but having to go through that on a daily basis to cap off a day of serving a duty that you detest? It had become more than petty to Lux.

It had just been one of those moments when the faintest clinking of blades caught her razor-sharp attention. "Frankly, being a mother of two, and all, I figured you'd have fuller breasts."

Lux practically jumped out of her skin as she hurriedly slid what she was trying to strip off onto herself. She felt vulnerable only in her upper garment and underpants, but she gained confidence as she tightened her hold on her wand.

"Sloppy work, for an assassin such as yourself, Talon du Couteau!"

She was wondering why he had even bothered to show himself, as opposed to just striking from the shadows as she had understood him to do.

"Oh, you know me, Crownguard? I'm flattered."

He smirked, brandishing the blades at his arms, straightening from his crouch, "You even look a lot younger than I thought you would be, Lilllia Crownguard… it must be a Demacian thing, huh? Looks are more important investments than, say, home security?"

His throaty chuckle really unsettled Lux in a way she couldn't understand, but she knew his ignorance gave her the upper hand. Readying her wand, she let out a giggle of her own.

Without skipping another beat, Luxanna swiped the air with a practiced flourish, the wand focusing the magic in her veins into a small, concentrated beam, aimed directly at her intruder.

* * *

Caught immensely off-guard, Talon could only stare as he felt the familiar searing pain of an offensive spell coursing through his body, interrupting him mid-gasp. It was only momentary, the pain gone in a blink of an eye, but now he was faced with a new problem; that of being completely ensnared in a Light Binding.

"What is the meaning of this?" He shouts, enraged at himself for being tricked and at the luminous girl before him, "…Wait, you're… you're that light witch, 'Lux'!"

"Well, thank you for finally noticing. I don't quite appreciate what you've said about me, though."

She said it with a steady candidness, but he could still clearly sense the fear and apprehension dripping from her voice. He figured he still had a shot.

"This spell isn't going to last very long, is it? I know that as a fact." He muttered, purposely driving her a little bit closer to the edge. Talon shifted his weight from one leg to the other as he quietly glared at the radiant walls surrounding him. It was a lot like being in a brighter, warmer glass cage.

"Clearly, your information on my mother's whereabouts isn't the only thing that's utterly wrong. You know we're limited in the Institute. Out here in the real world, I can hold this spell for as long as I wish," He notices her subtly pressing her lips together; _She's faking her confidence, alright._

"You're not going anywhere, Talon du Couteau. So you better give it up!"

Talon squares his weight on both feet, ending his constant fidgeting. Bowing his head slightly, he stares directly at Luxanna, crossing his arms, "I'm going to get out of here." He notices her flinch at his gaze, "I'm going to get out of here, and you know it."

"You are not! Making me angry is not going to make things easier for you!"

Talon also notes that she could have perhaps called for help by now; maybe calling out to someone was futile, being in such a big manor and all. She could have left the room or she could use her abilities to, say, fire a beacon or a flare or whatever, but she hadn't. Judging from the fear emanating so strongly from her, he deduces that somehow, he _still_ had the advantage. Luxanna could not keep up his binding without her constant concentration.

_This is way too easy. _Luxanna was faintly crumbling under her own weight, and Talon felt his features soften as he watched her.

* * *

The gravel beneath Talon's feet crackled under each of his light, careful steps. There was a beat to them, he noted, and he was immediately pacified. They were the sounds that always accompanied his victories; running away from shopkeepers he normally stole from, outwitting the guards who wanted him dead, chasing targets who were growing too tired, among other things.

Throwing a backwards glance to ascertain no one sees him, Talon does not even stop as he jumps straight down into what seems to be a random manhole. The cold water of Noxian sewage welcomes him as he splashes into a three-point landing. He's lived on the unforgiving streets of Noxus for as long as he could remember; he figured that mastering the sewers were his best bet, given that no one would even want to go there for any kind of foreseeable reason. Talon always found it to be the perfect escape route. The perfect home, even.

_One of these days, they will all see. I'm going to move up to the streets, and no one is going to make me leave._ Talon smirked to himself, wading through the noxious waters, navigating his way to the only elevated (and dry) spot. He knew his day of reckoning was approaching sooner and sooner. He had noticed his body growing bigger and faster; his muscles more strongly defined, his strength and stamina almost tripling in just the course of a few months. Naturally, Talon was initially unaccustomed and even disoriented at his sudden growth, having valued his small and lithe physique for his infamous speed and agility. Not long after, he learned to appreciate his seemingly different body, with training he can retain his speed, but now—he noted with the utmost glee— he was also built for power.

* * *

Millions of thoughts dashed through Luxanna's astute mind, but despite her brilliance, none of them seemed to be the ones she were looking for. Should she just attack him? Her Final Spark might be too much, but that—and any other of her attacks—would break her Light Binding. It gave him too wide of a window for escape, and she could, under no circumstances, let that happen. What would she tell the Demacian defense? What would she tell her mom? That a heavyweight assassin burst into her room so easily? That she had him trapped, but had let him escape?

_Maybe I could let him go and I would just never have to talk about this._ But that's stupid. What if he attacks? He was clearly sent here to kill; he most likely wouldn't want to go back without getting anything accomplished. No matter how she thought about it, Talon du Couteau could not be trusted.

"Well, we're kind of in a stalemate here, aren't we?" He offers, his arms still crossed, his stance still steady.

"I wouldn't be so sure about that. You're in _my_ city. In my _house_, even! Just surrender your weapons, Talon, and we can try to work this out." She unconsciously had matched his stance, holding his gaze with her own through what little courage she had left.

"I'll get out of here. You'll run out of mana, you'll get exhausted. Hell, you already don't look too good." Talon smirked, and that only disconcerted her further, "and I still have all the energy in the world. My _unrestrained power_, as you had so graciously put it."

Luxanna's unease had snowballed into panic; she felt the sweat starting to coat her skin, despite the coolness of the night, despite the draft she was feeling. Her light radiated and diffused in time with the drums thrumming wildly against her head. With her heart threatening to burst out of her chest, Luxanna's breathing became more ragged and erratic— how could Lux, she, who had spent what was supposed to be the rest of her childhood suffering in the military, be defeated so easily? In a position where she had the upper hand, no less? She was literally the best and brightest, and she was about to fail completely. She was going to shame Demacia, she was going to disappoint her mother and her brother, and she— Luxanna Crownguard— she, was going to die.

_BAM!_

Lux jumped, startled and unraveled, as her Light Binding popped with a loud blast. Talon had broken what little concentration she had left by forcefully slamming his arms against her incandescent cage, deliberately pushing her completely off the edge. Finally free, Talon descends upon her.


	2. Chapter 2

Talon drew his blades as he spotted a huddled figure cramped into the spot he called his home, he was still several yards away, and Talon had made sure to wade through the waters without the slightest of sounds. The shadows had easily aided him into appearing right in front of the intruder, as if out of nowhere. But Talon had underestimated his size and movements, his stealth immediately broken by the sound of his body bumping slightly against his precariously stacked crates— fortunately the crates did not fall— but the stranger had shot right up, blinding him with an unnatural radiance.

"S-stay away from me!" Talon shielded his eyes from the illuminated stranger, but just as she had lighted up, she started whimpering and dimmed. "I-I just… I just want to go home…"

The stranger was a pale-skinned girl with light hair and tear-stained blue eyes; small and delicate, she was still practically a child. Talon thought it was strange that she immediately dropped her guard, but he had figured she was only hiding from law enforcement as well. He was not constantly in the company of other people, so he found himself not quite knowing what to do. "Is… is anything wrong?"

* * *

"Lux… Luxanna, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry."

Lux heard the clattering of blades falling against her bedroom floor, but she had experienced a familiar safety and calm as she felt a comforting warmth envelop her completely. _Am…am I dead?_

Lux gathered the courage to open her eyes, completely surprised to find herself still in her room, sitting on her bed… and Talon du Couteau, the assassin who was going to end her life, holding her in a secure embrace.

* * *

Talon knew what he was doing was more than just stupid, aside from practically failing his mission, he was not going to kill this girl, and she was most likely going to hate him for taking advantage of her. Noxus and Demacia will know, all of Valoran will know. He did not really care much for city-states and allegiances, but he knew the full extent of what he was giving up. When Talon saw the terror he was causing her, he immediately wanted to apologize, he even wanted to disappear, but he knew there was no other choice. He had been the one protecting her from what made her act that way—Talon couldn't stand being the one she was afraid of.

Lux had finally started smiling more, quite radiantly, he remembered, during the days before she was ultimately taken from him. She assured him that they were her allies, that they would take her home, but she said it with such a heavy sorrow that he almost wanted to abduct her for her own good. But that was nearly ten years ago. They were both completely different people now. Talon was so sure he had forgotten all about the luminescent girl lost in the sewers, the Luxanna that lit something he couldn't quite understand inside of him.

Talon found it soothing that their embrace still felt the same after all those years. Both of them might be full-grown adults by now, but the warmth and comfort was still the same. He was also slightly amused at how he has grown to be much bigger than her now, and that she has grown to be so… _soft._

"W-why… what's… How do you know me…?" She probably doesn't remember him, but she had wound down considerably and was now much less tense.

"You never stopped wetting your bed 'til you were 7, you hadn't seen your older brother in about 5 years, you were sent to gather intel on various important Noxian figures because you could do neat tricks with light, you could… bend light in a way that made you look like a completely different person," Talon unconsciously tightened his hold, "I know all of this because you showed me."

Luxanna pushed him off of her with a start, Talon immediately felt uneasy and a little hostile as his reality was slowly returning to him. Lux, however, grabbed fistfuls of his tunic as she pulled him closer to her, "You… you're that boy from 10 years ago!" He pulled down his hood, as if to aid her. He could see her studying his face with eyes that were welling up with tears, "You helped me get to Kalamanda… And you… you never told me your name."

Talon was more than surprised to know that she had not forgotten him, even though she had plenty of time and all the opportunities to do so. He had always been on the streets long after that, every manhole he passed reminding him less and less of his past suffering and more of her smiles and radiance. Up until his indoctrination into the du Couteau house, the streets would never let him forget her. His newfound company in Marcus, Katarina, Cassiopeia and the rest of the Noxian army, however, made it easier for him stop thinking about her. Soon enough, he was sure she never existed.

He did have his suspicions when he encountered the Lady of Luminosity on the Fields of Justice, but she was vastly different from the girl he saved years and years before. She fought her opponents with grace and flair, she refused to give up unless her summoners would make her, and even then she constantly fidgeted from the inactivity. She laughed quite a lot, too. _Oh boy, did she laugh._

It was only when he saw her again tonight, that he fully recognized the girl from long ago. It wasn't the most ideal of reunions, since it required him to get her far over the edge before he realized that she was still the same, vulnerable girl. Only, of course, she was no longer so vulnerable. He felt a strange kind of pride knowing that she had grown so strong. But dread and disgust immediately mixed inside of him when he realized that Demacia most likely threw this girl— who wanted nothing to do with the sordid activities of the military— into the fray of many other battles, into the belly of many other beasts, and into the territories of many other enemies. Except for all those times, he was not there to help her. He didn't want to start imagining what kind of pain or terror she's had to go through. _She might be a noble, but she had to survive too._

Talon did not show his regret and concern, but Luxanna had somehow picked up on it, "Is something the matter…?" He couldn't help but exhale a smile.

_Of course something was wrong, this entire situation is wrong_; his mission was officially a failure and he was still far too deep inside enemy terrain, while she had a dangerous assassin who was prepared to kill still inside her bedroom.

Talon glanced downward, "You were, uh…"—only to notice her bare legs, he returns his gaze to her face, a little flustered, "you were definitely a lot of trouble." She parts her lips in an expression of concern, but he only found himself staring at them for different reasons, "You're practically made of l-light and…" He decided to look off into the side instead, "you always blew my cover."

Lux pursed her lips tentatively, "It's not my fault you always hide in the dark!"

"Hey, it's not called "hiding", it's ste—"

Talon let out a stifled gasp as Lux hurriedly pulled him toward her and onto the bed, deftly pulling the thick, downy blankets that were neatly folded on the edge of her bed onto the both of them. Before he could formulate any coherent thoughts, he heard three rough knocks against her bedroom door.

"Luxanna, is everything alright?"

Talon held his breath as he heard the commanding baritone voice that could only belong to Garen Crownguard, Luxanna's older brother.

* * *

Luxanna did not know what to make of this night. She had been in a nerve-wracking situation only moments before; she was so sure she was looking down death's blade, only to discover that her would-be assailant was actually a long-lost friend. It stirred different kinds of emotions within her; relief for safety, jubilance at the discovery of her savior, warmth and fondness from his close contact… and most definitely many others, but her brother's sudden appearance had interrupted their cathartic reunion. Of all the positions to find herself in, she was hiding a well-known Noxian assassin from her brother, the Captain of Demacia's Dauntless Vanguard. It was just one terrifying experience after another for Luxanna Crownguard.

Garen opened her door as gently as he could manage, peering into her room, but still staying only by the entrance, "There were flashes of light coming from your room. I had thought you were actually fighting against an intruder!"

Lux sat up carefully against her headboard, "Ah, thank you for your concern, brother, I was just practicing my skills, you know?" Garen turns his head slightly at this, "—ah, you know, what mother said about becoming even better? I decided to take her words to heart, ah… you know how she can be." Garen smiles at this, and Luxanna audibly exhales. She jumps slightly as she feels Talon tapping her thigh.

"Hey," he whispers, "Hey, ask him about Katarina."

Garen furrowed his brows when he caught the slight, anxious movements Luxanna would make, "Luxanna, are yo—"

"Oh, Garen! How are your encounters with Katarina du Couteau?"

Garen was clearly caught off-guard by her inquiry, and she mentally celebrates her small victory as she notices him stumbling over a choice of words, "She's… a valiant foe! Yes, quite a… a deadly adversary." Luxanna felt more positive as she gained a steady momentum, "I heard she was absolutely stunning in the flesh, yeah? Don't you ever get distracted?" Garen inhaled sharply as he drew himself up, "Absolutely not, I do not let such things affect me! I am, after all, the paragon of Demacian ethics!"

Talon's breath tickled her thigh as he chuckled beneath her covers, "I bet that's what he always tells himself."

Luxanna found herself a little bit more light-headed and airy as she giggled along to Talon's commentary. Garen contorted his face in confusion, undeniably a little more than flustered, "What is so amusing, Luxanna?"

"Oh, nothing, dear brother," she beamed radiantly at him, "I just thought you two would make a nice couple."

Garen raised his shoulders on reflex, trying to conceal his reddened face as he fought for words, "T-that is nonsense, Luxanna!" Lux was a little too amused as she watched him turn this way and that, "A-anyway, you should be going to sleep, we awake at the break of dawn, as usual."

Lux softens her smile at her brother, "Yes, Garen, thank you." Garen nods curtly, still visibly blushing, as he starts to close her door, "Oh, and brother?"

"Yes, Luxanna?"

"Don't hold yourself back so much. You deserve happiness, too."

Garen stares at her, a little surprised, and Lux only smiles back, "Uh... Thank you, Luxanna. Good night." He closes her door with a soft thud, and she follows the sound of his footsteps until she could hear them no more.


	3. Chapter 3

Talon peers up at Lux as she slightly lifts the covers and tilts her head in, "Are you alright?"

"You know," Talon sits up as he smugly watches Lux roll the covers to gather at her lap, "I could have hidden in any of the various dark corners you have in your room."

A trembling huff passed Lux's lips as she tentatively raises the corners of her mouth, "I _had_ to think fast, you're something of a dangerous Noxian while my brother is the _Might of Demacia_!"

Talon shakes his head slightly, a half-smile forming on his face, "I wouldn't be so worried about him—," he presses his lips together in a faint grunt as he pulls his legs out of the covers, trying to avoid tracking dirt on her bed as he sets his feet on the floor. "With the way he was talking, I wouldn't be surprised if he had something going on with Kat."

A wider smile crept onto Talon's face, _Reconnaissance missions, huh?_

Lux exhaled a trembling, but airy, laugh. Talon notices her gradually tense up once more, her glow steady, but slightly dimmer, as her laugh hangs in the air, the only sound echoing in their heads while an uncomfortable silence filtered through the room. They had not made eye contact since Garen's ill-timed visit, and Talon notes, as he examines the side of the room that Lux wasn't in, that she had not attempted to look his way as well.

Suddenly, there were so many things he should be doing back in Noxus; sparring with Katarina, looking for more leads about Marcus' whereabouts, and he still had to report back—_Oh, god._—to Boram Darkwill. The mission was more of a dare than an order, really, as Talon had explicitly refused to submit to anyone other than Marcus du Couteau, the man who had once defeated him.

_Boram Darkwill drew up his full height to look down at Talon as a Noxian lieutenant rambled on, "I'm guessing you are now too ineffably useless ever since _Dear Master _disappeared. Why, who's going to weaken your kills for you, now that he's gone? So worrying, I bet."_

_Talon shrugged off the lieutenant's childish affronts, but he decided to take the challenge anyway. He_ was_ feeling the need to whet his blade, lately. And as an added benefit, he could show those idiots who fight futile battles at the frontlines how useful stealth truly is. He was not only going to kill Lillia Crownguard. He was going to take her head and rest it next to Boram Darkwill's sleeping figure. That would teach him not to jest with the Blade's Shadow._

Talon had let pride cloud his judgment; Lillia Crownguard was a strong political figure, but she was neither his nor Marcus' direct adversary. He had no business trying to kill her.

_The next time Darkwill tries to mock me is the time he's going to start breathing through a hole in his neck. _He had been on plenty of assassination missions before; the Demacians already knew his style and that the high-profile murders were his handiwork, but they could never find any hard evidence to pin them to him, and in consequence, to Noxus.

"So…," Talon attentively turns his head at the sound of Lux's voice, "I guess our cities are really going into war soon, huh?" Lux was still staring down at her lap. Her shoulders were no longer taut, but as her anxiety ebbed, Talon's dread grew. "I mean… you just attempted to assassinate the mother of two well-known Demacian champions…," Neither her countenance nor movements had changed at all, "My mother." Luxanna Crownguard, Demacian champion and a personal friend of the crown prince, now has knowledge that he, Talon du Couteau, had just attempted to add Lillia Crownguard to his list of felled targets.

Talon feels a knot in his stomach as he carefully chooses his words, "You know what this means, right?" Lux compresses her arms into herself, gripping her wand once more as she turns to look up at him, "You're going to have to silence me, huh? " Talon felt his own tension gathering as her entire being—especially her sapphire eyes—shone with a determined light, a slight smile flickered onto her face before it faded just as quickly, "You… you have to kill me?"

Talon felt himself reeling back as he hurriedly launched himself off the bed, to his surprise and frustration, Lux, with the same expression of resolve and anxiety, jolts up as well, her blanket pooling at her feet, forgotten, "Damn it, it's not that easy!"

"Of course it won't be!" Lux's voice was shaking, but her grip on the wand was firm.

Talon spread his arms in a gesture of impatience, "That's not what I mean, Lux!" He inhales sharply, his eyebrows furrowed and his gaze narrow, "I'm not going to fight you. And I definitely had no intention of saving you all those years ago just to kill you now—yes, I didn't know who you were back then, but that's not the point— Right now, I… I just…!" This time he exhales, lowering his arms and steadying his stance, "I don't know. Just think of it as thanks for… uh," Talon feebly raises his shoulders in a shrug, "…not feeding me to your brother? Even though I would have kicked his ass, anyway."

Talon notices her staring intently at his face, her eyes quivering rapidly, the distrust not completely spent, "Let's just say I don't want to kill one of the first friends I've ever made—I'm going to lose more than I earn if I lost you."

Lux's eyes widened as his sincerity dawned upon her, her lips parting and closing as gasps and unfinished words tried to escape them. Talon tries to reach for her, but before his hands could touch her shoulders, he sets them down again, "I never knew my parents and I grew up in the streets. I had to commit crimes to survive, and you can guess what that does to how people liked me. Sometimes," his chest visibly heaves, "I thought I had friends, but they'd end up double-crossing me. Though occasionally, they'd die before they could even reach that point." Lux's gaze softens, as she fully lowers her wand.

Talon couldn't help but stare as Lux radiated with a soft glow, "You know, we're not so completely different."

Talon directs his gaze to her features, slightly caught off-guard by the intensity of the color and intent he found in her eyes. She held her wand with both hands, her arms lowered over her sides.

Lux whispered as she recounts how the Demacian army tore her from her mother, she was clinging to her so tightly that she was sure she left welts. She mentions –with a smile— that she was crying like she never had before. She lowers her voice even further when she tells him how her mother did not even seem to care. "We should have sent her off sooner," was the only goodbye Lux had received. She was only thirteen then, but Demacia—and even her own parents—expected so much from her.

Talon felt a strange kind of empathy as he listened to her. He watched her face as she reveals more things about herself and her servitude; Sometimes, he notes, she would roll her eyes upward and right as she tried to remember something. Occasionally, she'd blink rapidly—right before exhaling— and most of the time, she would look up at him with her bright, blue eyes. Talon could feel himself clenching his fists as he realized he was right about Demacia; they had been forcing her into horrors before and after the one he had aided her with.

Lux had eventually stopped, noticing Talon's apparent disquiet. "Anything wrong?"

Talon smiled slightly as he rested his hand on top of her head, "Demacia and Noxus aren't so different, huh?"

Lux flinched faintly at his touch, but soon felt the blush creeping to her cheeks. She nodded, avoidant of his gaze, as she demurely tugged her top to cover her thighs, Talon had to stifle a chuckle as her light started to brighten intensely, "Yeah… I wish we could just… get along somehow. War is going to break out and…" She sighs, shuddering slightly, "Even after what Jarvan did… I guess I understand why Garen's trying so hard to stop it."

Talon hesitantly stroked her hair with his thumb, almost as if he was trying to test the feeling, "Kat's trying too. Then after all of this ends… Maybe… Maybe this could work out."

To his surprise, Lux suddenly looks up at him, staring intently at his face, "…What would work out?"

Talon smiles a little wider than he intended, "It's nothing. Our, uh… friendship, you know?" He retracts his hand as he crosses her room to the window he had entered from, "Anyway, Lux, Noxus is expecting me soon."

The words had come out of him out in a small panic, but he had not expected the effect it would have on the both of them. Lux and Talon were unmoving, the thickness of the atmosphere seeming to impede their actions. Their gazes were directed to the floor, Lux clenching her fists over her garment and Talon standing stock-still as one waited for the other to move.

Stubbornly, they remained in the weight of a heavy silence; a silence full of the things that remained unsaid.

This went on for several more obstinate moments until Lux finally broke their impasse with a sigh. "Talon… after this… are we enemies?" Lux suddenly became more animated, glowing brighter after having defeated the horrible stillness, "I mean, Noxus and Demacia and all, and how I—as you said—'always blew your cover.'"

But her light dims again, after her momentary vigor, "I… I'm really sorry that it's counter-intuitive for you to be around me… I guess Noxus and Demacia aren't our only problems."

Talon interrupts her somber reverie with a deliberate sigh, "Lux, I'm trusting you with a very important secret, of course we're friends." He walks back to her, stopping with only an inch of space between them, "Alright?" He smoothes her arm with a gloved hand as the other cups her chin.

Lux momentarily blinds him with a disarming smile, her cheer and radiance returning, "Yeah? Well, that's just paying you back for saving me ten years ago!"

A chuckle escaped Talon's lips as he finds himself observing all the details of Lux's sunny face, "Right, like me not killing you as my thanks for not giving me up to your brother?" Lux nods as well, her "Right!" riddled with smiles and giggles.

Still beaming, Lux follows Talon as he leads her back to the window. Even though Talon knew Lux best as the shaking, frightened girl he found in the Noxian sewers, he felt a different kind of ease, warmth and pleasure as he beheld the mirthful, determined and strong Lady of Luminosity. "You'll be seeing me a lot at the Institute, anyway."

Lux closes her eyes as she swayed with silent, uncontrollable giggles, "Yeah," she breathes out, tucking a lock of hair behind her reddening ear. Talon was glad she looked down as she tried to suppress outright laughter, at least he didn't have to hide his own stupid widening grin, "So, uh…"

"See you?" She finishes for him, alight with her own radiance and obvious fluster.

"See you." He nods, realizing too late that her mirth was much too contagious.

Talon turned to survey the view beyond the Crownguard manor; what to him, just a few moments ago, was a sprawling example of the extravagance and gross indulgence he so utterly detested, now a pleasant array of lights, dotting and lovingly decorating the night's cover of pitch darkness. He smiled to himself, his gut realizing before he could that it only reminded him of what he and Lux had now become.

"Oh and about that whole thing with light and darkness?"

"Yes?" Lux replies, watching Talon perch onto her windowsill with no difficulty.

He averts his gaze nervously, readjusting his arm blades and pulling his hood back over his head;

"…Behind the brightest light, is the darkest shadow…," He whispers, staring up at her from his lowered gaze, "right?"

And before Talon widens the space between them with his departure, he leans forward and closes their distance with a kiss.


End file.
